Shoe draw-strap and horn.



W. H. CARROLL. SHOE DRAW STRAP AND HORN.

APPLIUATION FILED oom. 1v, 1907.

l91 3,695. Patented Mar. 2, 1909.

| l Il s: 4FM@ TH: N'anms versies ca, wAsmNcrvN. L', c.

UNITED srnras FATNT FFCE.

SHOE DRAW-STRAP AND HORN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 2, 1909.

Application filed October 17, 1907. Serial No. 397,927.

4'To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, l/VILLIAM H. CARROLL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Shoe Draw- Strap and Horn, of which the following' is a specification.

This invention relates to a device designed to assist in drawing an ordinary low cut shoe upon the foot and adapted to telescopically disappear wholly or mainly below the top of the shoe upper, and preferably between the shoe layers, to avoid the objectionable appearance of a dangling draw-strap above the shoe top.

The invention also is adapted to overshoes and when so applied assists in drawing on and removing the overshoe.

The more special objects of the invention are to provide a simple, inexpensive and eficient draw-strap of the telescoping class which is so made and secured to an ordinary or inner shoe that chaling of the Achilles or heel tendon cannot result from wearing the shoe, and also to arrange the strap to serve as a shoe-horn while drawing an ordinary shoe upon the foot or while drawing an ovcrshoe upon an inner shoe. The draw-strap also serves as a toe rest when forcing the overshoe heel down from the inner shoe heel when removing the overshoe, thereby obviar,- ing the necessity of providing the overshoe with the outside heel stud or projection com monly used for this purpose.

The invention will first be described and then will be particularly defined in claims hereinafter set forth.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a small scale perspective view illustrating operation of the invention as applied to an ordinary low-cut shoe. Fig. 2 is a partly broken-out cross-sectional view showing inner portions of said shoe and .its draw-strap. Fig. 3 is a detail vertical side section taken on the line a-a in Fig. 2. F ig. 4 is a plan view in horizontal section on the line b-b in Fig. 2, and also indicates by dotted lines the wearers foot within the shoe. Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the utility of the improved draw-strap as applied to an overshoe which is being fully drawn upon an inner shoe. Fig. 6 is an e inner rear sectional view of the overshoe and its telescoped draw-strap. Fig. 7 is a much enlarged plan view in section on the line o?) in Fig. 2, of a preferred strap fastening; and Figs. 8 to l2 are detail inner heel views illustrating modifications of the strap hereinafter described.

First referring more especially to Figs. l to 4, and 7, of the drawings, the numeral l indicates the outer cross-bar or linger-hold of the preferred shoe-strap, and 2, 2, indicate its two quite thin flexible metal side parts shown as laterally separated limbs connected to and pendent from the crossbar 1. Each strap limb 2 preferably has a slot 3 the bottom or inner end wall of which provides a shoulder 4: adapted to draw upon fastenings holding the strap to the shoe upper at the heel. To avoid cutting or bruising the strap pulling finger or fingers the cross-bar 1 is made suliiciently thick by rolling or folding parts of the sheet-metal blank from which the strap is made and in manner producing a cross-bar of thicker rounded or flattened form, such as is shown in cross-section in Fig. 3 of the drawings. lt is preferred lo arrange the strap limbs 2, 2, in shallow recesses 5, 5, in the counter or heel-sti'lfener G of the shoe, to thereby avoid lumps which might hurt the foot while concealing' the strap limbs between the shoe quarter 'T and the inner heel lining 8. The strap .limb fastenings may have any approved construction assuring necessary secure hold upon the soft shoe fabric layers to prevent tearing of said layers and pulling the strap bodily from the shoe when drawing upon the strap cross-bar 1, for pulling the shoe upon the foot. A preferred fastening comprises pressure-resisting means including a metal tubular spacing stud 9 which preferably is integrally formed wit-h a washer-plate 10, and another washer-plate l1 applied outside the end of the stud 9, and coacting with an eyelet 12.

1n applying the draw-strap to the shoe in the preferred manner, both slotted strap limbs 2 are passed inward between the shoe quarter 'T and heel lining 8, and within the recesses 5 of the counter G, while the spacing studs 9 on the washers 10 rest in the limb slots 3. After the other washers 11 are applied to the studs 9, so that the strap limbs 2 lie between the opposing washers 10, 11, the eyelets 12 are passed through holes made in the shoe layers 7, 8, and through the fastening parts 9, 10, 11, and the ends of the eyelets then are tightly clenched or riveted upon said shoe layers. During clenching of the eyelets or rivets 12 on the shoe layers the spacing studs 9 which are slightly longer than the thickness of the freely movable strap limbs 2, offer all necessary resistance to permit the tightest possible clenching of the eyelets upon the somewhat soft shoe layers which thus are most securely held between the washers 10, 11, and the clenched ends of the eyelets 12, to prevent tearing of the strap fastenings from the slice by pulling upon the strap.

A specially important feature of this invention is the holding of the draw-strap plate, or of its two telescoping limbs to the shoe heel by two horizontally separated fasN tenings which are disposed at opposite sides of the center of the heel portion of the shoe upper, to avoid chafing pressure of said fastenings upon the Achilles or heel tendon 13 of the wearers foot which is indicated relatively to the fastenings by dotted lines in li ig. et of the drawings.

Another important feature of this invention is stitching or otherwise fastening together the upper parts of the outer and. inner shoe layers 7, 8, at 1/1- next the outer edge of each of the telescoping strap limbs and especially at 15 between the inner edges of the two straps limbs, whereby the inner shoe layer or lining 8, is prevented from curling' inward and downward by pressure of the wearers heel while the shoe is being drawn upon the foot.

The operation of the invention as applied to an ordinary low-cut shoe is sufficiently illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, which Vshows that after the shoe-strap is fully drawn outward, or until the strap shoulders l strike the fastening studs 9, the foot 1o is advanced into the shoe and the strap crossbar 1 then is drawn upon by one or two lingers as the foot heel slides inward upon the two strap limbs 2, 2, which thus serve as a shoe-horn until the foot fully enters the shoe. llhe strap then is pushed fully inwart by pressing upon its cross-bar 1, and the strap will then be mainly concealed below the top of the shoe upper, as shown in full lines in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. lt is proposed to give a slight curve or indentation to the strap limbs to cause them to lock at their fastenings when pushed fully inward, and thus prevent the strap from accidentally working upward when wearing the shoe.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, it will appear that in applying this improved draw-strap to an overshoe made of rubber or .other material, the two strap limbs are fitted between the outer and inner shoe layers 17, 18, which at their upper edges are vulcanized or stitched or otherwise fastened together at 14, 15 next and between the strap limbs 2, 2.' Said limbs are held to the shoe heel by the two fastenings 9, 10, 11, 12', substantially as above described for the ordinary shoe. When applied to an overshoe the drawstrap has special advantages in that it prevents curling inward of the upper edge of the overshoe by the inner shoe 19 as it enters the overshoe, and the strap also serves as a shoe-horn to or for the inner shoe when pulling the overshoe upon it by drawing upon the strap cross-bar 1, and as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. Another advantage is that when the strap is pushed telescopically inward as shown in Fig. 6, the strap cross-bar 1 then forms a toe-hold or rest for the other foot in forcing the overshoe heel from the inner shoe heel, and thus obviates the necessity of fixing the usual outside stud or projection to the lower part of the overshoe heel for this purpose. Another advantage of this improved draw-strap, as applied to an ordinary inner shoe or to an overshoe, is that the two horizontally separated fastenings provide two distinct holds for the strap at the more or less soft and yielding fabric or material of the shoe upper, whereby the strain at the fastenings by pulling upon the strap is taken jointly by the two fastenings, and thus the danger of tearing the shoe fabric layers at the fastenings, or of bodily pulling the strap from the shoe, is minimized if not wholly obviated and one strap will last as long as the shoe or overshoe to which it is applied.

lllhether applied to an inner shoe or to an overshoe, the draw-strap may be variously modified in forni, examples heilig shown in Figs. 8 to 12 of the drawings. ln Fig. S, the two slotted strap limbs 2, 2, are connected by a bottom cross-bar 20, which necessitates making the counter recess 5, the full width of the strap. ln Fig. 9, the draw-strap is made as an open four-sided frame 21 within which the fastenings marked 12 are held to the shoe to guide telescoping movements of the strap. Inner parts at le-l of this frame provide the shoulders which pull upon the fastenings 12. ln lTig. 10, the draw-strap has a top cross-bar 1, and two unslotted limbs the lower ends of which are outbent to form hooks 29, inner parts of which at 4 2, draw upon the fastenings 12 which are arranged outside the strap sides which move in the recesses 5 of the shoe counter. ln 11, the draw-strap is shown as a single plate 24 fitted in a broad counter recess and between the shoe heel inner and outer layers and having two slots 3, receiving the fastening studs and also provided with a top opening 25, receiving the linger or fingers telescopically operating this plate strap. Fig. 12 shows one example of a draw-strap made with two independent slotted limbs 26, 26,

each having a head portion 27, which is lapped by the head of the other limb to allow bot-h strap limbs to be operated telescopically at the same time by grasping their lapped heads 27. These independent strap limbs 26 may have various forms of heads giving finger-holds for operating the strap.

Various other modifications of the invention may be made within the scope of one or more of the appended claims when the drawstrap is telescopically held to a shoe heel by two horizontally separated fastenings which avoid chating pressure upon the Achilles or heel tendon of the foot.

To avoid alternative expressions in the claims, the term plate 7 used therein is to be construed as including a draw-strap made of one plate, or made with two vertically ranging connected or disconnected side parts or limbs, and held to the shoe heel by two horizontally separated fastenings, substantially as hereinabove described.

I claim as my invention l. A shoe draw-strap and horn comprising a plate having` inner shoulders, and two horizont-ally separated fastenings holding said plate telescopically to a shoe upper at opposite sides of the center of the shoe heel, to avoid chating pressure of the fastenings upon the Achilles tendon and to give two independent connections for the strap preventingtearing of it from the shoe by the coacting plate shoulders and fastenings when drawing on the shoe, substantially as described.

2. A shoe draw-strap comprising a plate having inner shoulders and located for telescoping disappearance wholly or mainly between the leather' or fabric layers of a shoe upper at its heel portion, and two horizontally separated fastenings holding said plate to the upper at opposite sides of the center of the shoe heel, substantially as described.

3. A shoe drawstrap comprising two horizontally spaced vertically ranging parts having inner shoulders, and correspondingly spaced fastenings holding said parts telescopically to a shoe upper at opposite sides of the center of the shoe heel, substantially as described.

A shoe draw-strap comprising two horizontally spaced vertically ranging parts having inner shoulders and located for telescoping disappearance wholly or mainly between the leather or fabric layers of the shoe upper at its heel portion, and correspondingly spaced fastenings holding said strap parts to the upper at opposite sides of the center of the shoe heel, substantially as described.

5. A shoe draw-strap and horn comprising two horizontally spaced vertically ranging parts having inner shoulders and located for telescoping disappearance wholly or mainly between the leather or fabric layers of the shoe upper at its heel portion, and two correspondingly spaced fastenings holding said strap parts to the upper at opposite sides of the center of the shoe heel; said shoe layers being stitched or fastened together at upper edge parts between and outside the two strap side parts to prevent inward curling of the shoe lining` or heel while drawing on the shQe, substantially as described.

G. shoe draw-strap and horn comprising two horizontally spaced vertically ranging slotted parts having inner shoulders, and correspondingly spaced fastenings having parts entering the slots of the strap parts and holding said parts telescopically to a shoe upper; said fastenings being disposed at opposite sides of the center of the shoe heel, substantially as described.

7. it shoe draw-strap and horn comprising a plate having inner shoulders and located for telescoping disappearance wholly or mainly between the leather or fabric layersl of a shoe upper at its heel portion and fitted within a recess of the heel counter, and two horizontally separated fastenings holding said plate loosely to the upper at opposite sides of the center of the shoe heel, substantially as described. i

8. A shoe draw-strap and horn comprising two horizontally spaced vertically ranging parts having inner shoulders and adapted for telescoping disappearance wholly or mainly between the leather or fabric layers of a shoe upper at its heel portion and fitted within recesses of the heel counter, and two correspondingly spaced fastenings holding the strap parts loosely to the upper at opposite sides of the center of the shoe heel, substantially as described.

l 9. A shoe pull, comprising a plate having inner shoulders, and two horizontally separated Lt'astenings located at opposite sides of the center at the rear of the shoe upper and holding said plate telescopically to the i upper.

l/VILLIAM H. CARROLL.

Witnesses WV. H. Hor'r,

FRANK S. CAMPBELL. 

